Main Street Festival

The Heritage Foundation’s Main Street Festival returns to downtown Franklin April 29-30, 2017! The free spring celebration, which is one of the largest events in the state of Tennessee, is expected to draw a crowd of about 120,000 for a fun-filled weekend of music, arts and crafts, food, and children’s activities.

WHAT TO EXPECT

This year, live music will take place on two stages: The XFINITY Stage on the Public Square and The Guitar Center Stage on Main Street at First Avenue.

Photo opportunities on the Public Square give attendees a chance to capture and share spring photos. Third Avenue South will offer a kids’ zone with a variety of inflatables, train and pony rides, a petting zoo and other activities for a small fee.

The centerpiece of Main Street Festival is the juried arts and crafts show featuring more than 150 artisans and crafters with handmade wares. Vendors will offer jewelry, pottery, furniture, woodworking, leather work, photography and more from First to Fifth Avenues.

No street festival is complete without food. More than twenty-five vendors will offer an international assortment of food including original corn roast, barbecue, Greek food, Mexican cuisine, Italian ice and old fashioned soda located at two food courts on Third Avenue North and Fourth Avenue South. And as always, kettle corn, hot dogs, and funnel cakes will be offered. Also, a beer garden located down Fourth Avenue South will feature a variety of beer and wine selections.

Offsite parking will be available at Church of the City and Harlinsdale Farm on Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and at Harlinsdale Farm on Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Shuttles will service each location for $1 each way/ each person. Food, drink, pets, and non-folding strollers are not allowed on the shuttle.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County and its division, the Downtown Franklin Association, and their missions, respectively: to protect and preserve the architectural, geographical and cultural heritage of Franklin and Williamson County, and to promote the ongoing economic revitalization of Downtown Franklin in the context of historic preservation.

Franklin Wine Festival 2017 – October 13, 2017

Mentoring Matters. Big Brothers Big Sisters is helping Middle Tennessee children facing adversity realize a new and brighter future changing their lives for the better, forever.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is an investor and volunteer supported organization serving children with a one-to-one mentor. In 2015, we served 1,510 Middle Tennessee children with a one-to-one mentor in their lives.

Funds raised by the Franklin Wine Festival are used to conduct background checks on volunteers to ensure child safety; and provide ongoing support for children, families and volunteers to build and sustain long-lasting relationships.

The initial volunteer commitment is for one year, but our agency reported an average match length of 38.7 months at the end of 2015. Upon entering our program, children are surveyed in several key life skills areas so that we can determine the impact their role model is having in their lives. Last year, 92% of the children in our program reported positively on their progress in key academic areas; 96% reported positively regarding their social acceptance by their peers; and 95% reported a positive result on their opinions of risky behaviors – like never starting to smoke or drink alcohol, cheating, or skipping school. In short, these children are improving their odds and realizing new and brighter futures because of the Big Brother or Big Sister made possible by this fundraising event.

Join us for the largest Christmas festival in Middle Tennessee! Step back in time with the Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County when Dickens of a Christmas returns to Franklin’s Main Street December 10-11, 2016.

Sponsored this year by Nissan, the 32nd annual free street festival will recreate the time of Charles Dickens using historic downtown Franklin’s Victorian architecture as the backdrop. Some 200 musicians, dancers and characters will fill the streets, including several from Charles Dickens’s stories. Expect to see and interact with the nefarious Fagin from Oliver Twist; Jacob Marley, Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim Cratchit with his parents from A Christmas Carol; and of course, a Victorian Father and Mother Christmas with treats for children.

As more attention is turned toward downtown Franklin in both the local and national press, we encourage festival goers to dress in Victorian costume and to add to the ambiance as they stroll the streets.

This year’s event will reprise a crowd favorite from last year: it WILL snow at Dickens of a Christmas! Come decked out in holiday style to capture that perfect family picture.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

-Favorite Victorian-era activities will return, including sugar plums and roasted chestnuts being sold on the street. Other food vendors will offer heartier old English fare.
-A variety of musical and dance performances will take place at 4th and Main, 2nd and Main, 1st and Main and at the Xfinity Stage on the Public Square. Aaron Shust will lead the Town Sing at 4 p.m. on Saturday the 10th
-Horse-drawn carriage rides on 3rd Ave North, sponsored by Beacon Capital Management, a petting zoo for children and live artisan demonstrations on 3rd Ave South, and more than 100 vendors offering holiday arts and crafts will line Main Street from Second to Fifth Avenues.
-A Victorian-themed Stilt Walker and Unicyclist roaming main street sponsored by The Heritage at Brentwood
-Each day will conclude with a town sing of classic Christmas carols.

Dickens of a Christmas will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 10, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 11. The event is free and open to the public; some attractions will involve a small fee.

Dickens of a Christmas Off site parking and shuttles will ONLY be available on Saturday, 12/10. Pick up locations include Church of the City (828 Murfreesboro Road) and Harlinsdale Farm (239 Franklin Road). The cost is $1/ each way and the shuttles will run 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Producing Dickens of a Christmas is just one of the many activities of The Heritage Foundation of Franklin & Williamson County. Since 1967 the non-profit group has been dedicated to protecting and preserving Williamson County’s historic, architectural and geographic resources; in short, saving the places that matter.

March 12, 2016 | 6-9 PM | Westhaven

We’re creating a whiskey wonderland as we say goodbye to winter and welcome in the warmer weather. Cozy up with a few of your closest friends over a glass of whiskey, some great local food, and live music.

Learn about over thirty types of whiskey with tastings from some of the best in the country. Enjoy sampling and discussion with master distillers. We’ll also have tasty food available from local favorites:

This is an outdoor event, so bundle up!

Your ticket purchase benefits the Westhaven Foundation, which provides grants, scholarships and acts as a catalyst for raising much need funds for charities and organizations serving Westhaven and the surrounding communities.

For local business owners in Williamson County the turning of the new year means an opportunity to bolster their reputations: the Sizzle Awards.
The Sizzle Awards honor local businesses in cuisine, shopping, services, health and wellness and personal care. Members of the community vote for their favorite in each in a variety of categories like “Best New Restaurant” or “Best Youth Music Instruction.”
Presented by Southern Exposure Magazine, Williamson Herald and FranklinIS, the awards are something business owners mark on their calendar according to founder and Southern Exposure Publisher, Brandy Blanton.

“Business owners always look forward to it,” Blanton said.
“It’s a big deal for them to tout themselves.”
Now in its ninth year, Blanton said she is still finding ways to keep the awards fresh and interesting and local.
“We strive every year to keep it as local as possible and even added the moniker of ‘local’ in several categories,”
Blanton said. “But we aren’t ignoring big business because some categories are dedicated solely to them like a category for best department store and grocery store.”
Restaurant Five Guys Burgers and Fries has been awarded in the past and have the recognition displayed in places as far away as Las Vegas, New Orleans and Panama City, Florida.
Winners are determined by number of votes, where one person may only vote for one business per category. The voting process begins with every establishment having a clean slate and only write-in votes are accepted. Blanton said the voter turnout has grown every year and that thousands participate.
Businesses receiving the most votes will be awarded a trophy and the first and second runners-up will get certificates. Voting polls open Feb. 1 and will close March 4. This year’s awards will feature a ceremony and after party at the Factory in Franklin on a date yet to be determined.